Holiday Traditions with an Italian Accent

In terms of holiday traditions, the Feast of the Seven Fishes is as timeworn as yuletide caroling and gingerbread housing. An Italian pastime, the “festa dei sette pesci” was derived from the Catholic ritual of abstaining from meat on Fridays and holy days. The feast became an annual repast. Here are some festive fish options around town.

Osteria Via Stato continues its annual Seven Fishes tradition with a special menu on Christmas Eve. Executive chef David DiGregorio prepares dishes inspired by his own family’s traditions. The feast celebrates Italy’s rich seafood culture with dishes indicative of the country’s multifaceted regions. There are also side dishes and dessert.

Several courses of fish take the plate this Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at Filini Bar & Restaurant. Start with Liguria mussel soup with tomato and white wine, followed by Sicilian tuna carpaccio, clam-strewn spaghetti, braised octopus, Vicenza-style codfish, and prosciutto-crusted swordfish.

The Feast of the Seven Fishes gets consolidated into one enormous special at Tesori. Executive chef Andrew Deuel has created a Feast of the Seven Fishes cioppino, on special December 22 through December 24. The bounteous bowl contains jumbo scallop, snapper, lobster, shrimp, clams, mussels, calamari, and fennel-tomato-white wine broth.

At Piccolo Sogno Due, executive chef Tony Priolo and chef de cuisine Gabriel Hernandez honor seafaring Italian lore with their very own Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve. The menu includes shellfish soup, roasted oysters, seafood salad, seared scallops, smoked salmon-stuffed pasta, lobster risotto, braised salt cod, and Sicilian sea salt-crusted whole turbot.

Osteria Via Stato
620 N. State Street, Chicago
(312) 642-8450
Website

Filini Bar & Restaurant
221 N. Columbus Drive, Chicago
(312) 477-0234
Website

Tesori
65 E. Adams Street, Chicago
(312) 786-9911
Website

Piccolo Sogno Due
340 N. Clark Street, Chicago
(312) 822-0077
Website